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Cohabitation and benefits fraud
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poppadum
Posts: 7 Forumite
Sorry for cross-posting from the "house buying ..." board, but I thought this discussion belongs here.
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.html?p=859457&postcount=9
The gist: My g/f and I live together in a 4 bedroom house with her 2 children from a previous marriage. She claims housing benefit for 65% of the rent and I pay my 35% of the rent. We have a joint tenancy and the council is aware that we share. We have no shared debts or joint credit or bank accounts. We share all expenses quite cleanly. According to laws, by definition, we "cohabitate", i.e, live like husband and wife, rather than as housemates for the sole reason that we sleep with each other. Now Benefits Agencies treat the matter differently in these two cases, as cohabitation implies that I must contribute to household expenses, thus reducing my g/f's benefits award drastically. But for them to know that we cohabitate we will have to admit that we sleep together. I propose that this is a violation of our fundamental human right to privacy.
Should the welfare state be allowed to pry into your sex life because it throws you a few meagre scrapping from time to time?
This is how I see the situation: I sleep with a housemate of mine and help her with some expenses from time to time because she is struggling with life near the poverty line. Why should this make us "like husband and wife" and suddenly hold me financially responsible for her when I am struggling with my own debts?
-pop
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.html?p=859457&postcount=9
The gist: My g/f and I live together in a 4 bedroom house with her 2 children from a previous marriage. She claims housing benefit for 65% of the rent and I pay my 35% of the rent. We have a joint tenancy and the council is aware that we share. We have no shared debts or joint credit or bank accounts. We share all expenses quite cleanly. According to laws, by definition, we "cohabitate", i.e, live like husband and wife, rather than as housemates for the sole reason that we sleep with each other. Now Benefits Agencies treat the matter differently in these two cases, as cohabitation implies that I must contribute to household expenses, thus reducing my g/f's benefits award drastically. But for them to know that we cohabitate we will have to admit that we sleep together. I propose that this is a violation of our fundamental human right to privacy.
Should the welfare state be allowed to pry into your sex life because it throws you a few meagre scrapping from time to time?
This is how I see the situation: I sleep with a housemate of mine and help her with some expenses from time to time because she is struggling with life near the poverty line. Why should this make us "like husband and wife" and suddenly hold me financially responsible for her when I am struggling with my own debts?
-pop
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Comments
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poppadum wrote:But for them to know that we cohabitate we will have to admit that we sleep together. I propose that this is a violation of our fundamental human right to privacy.
Should the welfare state be allowed to pry into your sex life because it throws you a few meagre scrapping from time to time?
I'm sure someone will come along to correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think 'cohabitation' is decided purely on whether you have sex or not.
The fact you have a joint tenancy will be more of a factor I suspect, as will the fact that you share living expenses perhaps?Herman - MP for all!
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Living together as husband and wife – decisions relating to unmarried couples
How Housing Benefit decide the question of Living Together As Husband And Wife is set out in the above pdf file.
from which I quote
If a couple are living together in circumstances in which a sexual relationship is as likely to exist as it is in a marriage, it is unnecessary to prove that it does exist.My weight loss following Doktor Dahlqvist' Dietary Program
Start 23rd Jan 2008 14st 9lbs Current 10st 12lbs0 -
poppadum wrote:My g/f and I live together in a 4 bedroom house with her 2 children from a previous marriage. She claims housing benefit for 65% of the rent and I pay my 35% of the rent. We have a joint tenancy and the council is aware that we share. We have no shared debts or joint credit or bank accounts. We share all expenses quite cleanly.
If this is how you've been living and haven't informed all the benefits people (Child Tax Credit/ Housing Benefit/Income Support?) then you could be in serious trouble and I advise you to get urgent help from Citizens Advice who may even be able to accompany you when they investigate (depending on the resources of your local bureau). They could decide that this is benefit fraud which is a criminal offence.
From what you are saying above you are clearly co-habiting, eg. you call her your girlfriend, (and neighbours would recognize you as such), you have a joint tenancey and you share expenses (this is more of a difficult one in that if you were sharing a house with friends you might well buy food together and share other expenses). It is not purely based on sex and I don't think they are allowed to ask you about that side of things directly. As she is not living alone as a single parent then of course you will be expected to contribute to the household and her benefits will go down accordingly.Torgwen.......... ...........0 -
But surely if you were living together as housemates, the government would expect you to pay some rent wouldnt they? Seems fair enough really, if I on non benefits live with my bf also not on benefits, Im sure as hell he would expect me to contribute a fair amount, which in my eyes is 50/50, at least for us. I think the co-habiting refers to the fact that you live there, rather than stay there for a couple of nights a week, that is the difference and why they expect you to pay your way.0
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***Boardguide comment***
Due to reading the following which are excerpts from your thread on the other board I have decided to close the thread. This site does not condone benefit fraud and this board is not the place to discuss it. If you have an issue with this please take it up with abuse control.poppadum wrote:Hello,
I live in the south east with my partner who recently went bankrupt. We are currently renting but want to get on to the property ladder. I have my own debts totalling about 10K (not counting my car loan which is about 6K) I earn about 44K a year from a permanent job and my partner has no income.poppadum wrote:My partner and I keep our finances totally separate. Legally, it's all clean: we are "housemates". She has two children from a previous marriage and we split the rent 65-35. She claims housing benefit to pay her part of the rent, and also claims income support for living expenses. I pay my own share of the rent, council tax and utilities and help her once in a while with rent if she isn't able to pay her part fully.
I realise that this sounds like housing benefit fraud, but it isn't. Honest ...poppadum wrote:To avoid raising her children amongst muggers, hookers and druggies, my partner claims housing benefit.
If that's *fraud*, we'll live with the consequences of being discovered :rolleyes:poppadum wrote:......
Thanks for the link, though I'm fully aware of where I stand legally. I'm also happy to break/ignore stupid laws without feeling guilty.....Torgwen.......... ...........0
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